Taiwan-based LCD panel makers have reported brisk sales for March and first-quarter 2021, with prospects of their revenues continuing rising in the second quarter, thanks to panel price hikes amid tight supply.

Robust demand from end-market device brands, coupled with short supplies of upstream materials and components, including glass substrates, driver ICs, time controller and power management (PWM) chips, has helped push up panel prices.

Looking forward, brand TV vendors may need to replenish their panel inventories by over 20% in the second quarter, and panel suppliers may just be able to fill about 80% of total demand, said the observers.

The upward spiral of panel prices is likely to continue into the third quarter of 2021 before taking a possible correction in the fourth quarter due to seasonal adjustments, said the sources.

AU Optronics (AUO) has reported consolidated revenues of NT$30.72 billion (US$1.08 billion) for March 2021, up by 20.0% on month and 49.8% on year. Revenues for the first quarter of 2021 came to NT$82.94 billion, up by 3.0% sequentially and 54.5% on year.

Fellow company Innolux saw its March revenues rise 22.3% sequentially and 57.5% on year to NT$31 billion and first-quarter revenues were up 66.4% on year to NT$83.8 billion.

Innolux shipped 13.36 million large-size panels in March, up 15.4% on month; shipments of small- to medium-size ones totaled 29.87 million units, up 19.3% from the previous month.

HannStar Display's March revenues grew 27.3% on month and 132.7% on year to NT$3.028 billion and first-quarter revenues increased 12% quarter and 130% on year to NT$7.888 billion.

Its shipments of small- to medium-size panels came to 31.29 million units, up 6.7% from the previous month; those for large-size and own-brand models totaled 525,000 units, increasing 176.9% sequentially.

Giantplus Technology reported revenues of NT$858 million for March, up 47.28% on month and 56.78% on year. First-quarter revenues came to NT$2.195 billion, up 40.81% from a year earlier.